Tuesday’s Child Scotland and Interstellar have secured funding to co-produce a brand-new comedy entertainment pilot, James Acaster: People Person (w/t), for Channel 4.
The pilot was co-developed by Interstellar with Tuesday’s Child in Glasgow, and will be produced, filmed, and edited in Glasgow this summer. The commission was secured as part of an entertainment production initiative from Channel 4 and Screen Scotland who will co-fund the pilot .
Hosted by comedian James Acaster, James Acaster: People Person celebrates people from all walks of life by making them the inspiration for a comedy quiz. Led by James, a panel of comedians predict which person from a line up of people is the answer to each question. Audience participation is heavily encouraged as they play for a chance to win a share of a prize fund, making for a raucous and energetic gameshow.
Tuesday’s Child is a multi-award-winning entertainment and popular factual format specialist, with a substantive base in Glasgow since 2019. The company has a strong track record in Scotland, working closely with local vendors to produce, film and edit a host of shows including BBC primetime series, The Hit List presented by Rochelle and Marvin Humes; Head Hunters for BBC; and three series of the BAFTA Scotland nominated and RTS Awards-winning travelogue, Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig for Channel 4.
Interstellar, was founded by Managing Director David Williams and Creative Director Jamie Ormerod, and has produced hit shows including Richard Ayoade’s Question Team for Dave, Singletown for ITV2 and the forthcoming comedy reality hybrid Battle In The Box with Jimmy Carr. In 2023, Tuesday’s Child acquired a majority stake.
James Acaster said: "This is more than just a pilot. It's the co-pilot, flight attendants, passengers and the bloke with the paddles on the runway. This is about people. And I'm a people person. Let's do this"
David Smith, Director of Screen Scotland said: “Scotland-based production companies have enjoyed considerable success in entertainment, quiz and comedy in the last few years and it’s great to work with Channel 4 to further develop this capacity. TV production across the UK is undergoing significant change, and the impact on freelance workers has been profound. This initiative is just one of the ways we are focused on increasing the levels of production from Scotland, increasing opportunities for Scotland-based talent and crews.”
Edwina Madden-Egan, Development Executive for Tuesday’s Child Scotland said: “Tuesday’s Child in Scotland is growing year on year, and to win this commission alongside Interstellar allows us to continue to work with brilliant local talent and cement our Glasgow base as a leading specialist hub for quality entertainment and factual output.”
Jamie Ormerod, Creative Director of Interstellar said: “Working with James to create this format for Channel 4 is hugely exciting. Expect inventive games and stunts that defy expectations of a traditional panel game and that celebrate the undeniable fact we’re a nation of weirdos. Each, and every one of us.”
Cimran Shah, commissioning editor, Channel 4 said: “We were super impressed by the talent and creativity of entrants during this tender process in collaboration with Screen Scotland. James Acaster’s People Person (WT) was one of the ideas that stood out as a simple, scalable and clever concept with stellar talent attached and a clear opportunity to develop a new generation of channel[1]defining comedians. We cannot wait to see the final product later this year.”
The pilot was commissioned by Head of Reality and Entertainment, Steven Handley and Commissioning Editor, Cimran Shah for Channel 4. Colette Magee serves as Production Executive for Tuesday’s Child Scotland. Steph Harris, Creative Director and Jamie Ormerod, Creative Director for Interstellar serve as Executive Producers with Will Brown as Series Producer.
